Thank you, thank you, thank you for your ringing endorsement of my ministry here at Montclair, and for calling me to be your Associate Pastor! I count myself lucky to be working for such a generous-hearted and enthusiastic congregation. And I am so grateful to those who through their time and service (and a great deal of patience) have moved this process forward, especially Ben, members of MPC session, Monte McClain, and above all the APNC committee members. Thank you!
Some of you have asked when you can call me Rev., and once I again I get to tell you to hold your horses. We are to move through the process without undue delay, but summer is a-coming in, and even the faithful of our congregations and presbyteries do scatter like sheep when school gets out. I will be examined at the San Francisco Presbytery meeting on June 9th, and then will make arrangements with the Presbytery of New York City for an ordination service, which will take a few more weeks. That puts us in July, which is pretty miserable in NYC, so we’re hoping for an August ordination, followed by an August or September installation service at MPC.
I promised some details on what actually changes when I get ordained. The short answer, as you may know, is “not much,” at least in terms of how I spend my time and energy. But one important change was in my mind this past Sunday as I stood at the communion table with Ben. The words and prayers that surround the communion service are shared by pastors and congregation alike. But the central words, the “words of Institution,” which mark the meal as Communion, are reserved for pastors to say: those who have been ordained or specially commissioned for the task. Likewise with baptisms, I may say the prayer over the water or preach a sermon about baptism, but not do the act itself. So after I am ordained, I will take my turn in standing in that central position behind the table, and lifting the bread and cup. I will baptize people, or more realistically, will fight with Ben over who gets the great joy of baptizing people, and we’ll settle on alternating between the two of us. To take part in these beautiful and sacred acts is an honor and a privilege that we do not take lightly. While I recognize the wisdom of other churches who allow congregation members to officiate at the sacraments, I also appreciate the wisdom of our Presbyterian tradition: the holy task of ministering in Christ’s name may easily be done in T-shirts and blue jeans, but never without careful intention and discernment of God’s call.
One thing I love about MPC is knowing that I can make serious statements about the importance of tradition, responsibility, reverence etc., without worrying that you will take them too far and become complacent in tradition. Our congregation loves to turn the tables over, to smash idols and turn the moneychangers out of the temple… and so I can speak gently of the importance, sometimes, of respecting tradition and doing things in an orderly fashion… knowing that you will remain absolutely ready to break the rules and shake things up when it is needed. For this I thank you.
Every Blessing,
Talitha